The Baltimore Ravens have officially ruled out wide receiver Rashod Bateman for Sunday night’s divisional clash with the Cincinnati Bengals after the second-year wideout missed practice every day this week due to a foot injury.
Bateman’s absence deals a serious blow to a Ravens offense that doesn’t exactly have the luxury of top-tier wide receiver depth. With such an important early-season matchup with the Bengals on tap, Bateman couldn’t have picked a worse week to miss.
The Ravens have just four other wide receivers on their roster, and those receivers have combined for a grand total of 223 yards through four games. 172 of those yards have gone to Devin Duvernay.
The remaining trio of Demarcus Robinson, Tylan Wallace, and James Proche have done next to nothing this season. With Bateman out, however, they will be forced into the limelight.
WR Rashod Bateman (foot), who leads the Ravens WRs with 243 yards receiving, did not practice for a second straight day.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) October 6, 2022
Here is Baltimore’s WR group without him:
Devin Duvernay (172 yards)
Demarcus Robinson (41)
Tylan Wallace (9)
James Proche (0)
The Ravens desperately need their wide receivers to step up in Rashod Bateman’s absence
Duvernay is suddenly the top wideout in Baltimore with Bateman sidelined. The former third-round pick has been incredibly efficient with his opportunities this season having hauled in 12 catches on just 13 targets.
Duvernay has overachieved so far this season, but he’s not a No. 1 wide receiver. He’s not even really a No. 2 wide receiver. Meanwhile, the likes of Robinson, Wallace, and Proche don’t offer much in the way of production.
Robinson will likely be the one who starts opposite Duvernay come Sunday. The 7-year NFL veteran is the most experienced player in the Ravens’ receiver room and has actually played 45 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in 2022.
Those snaps haven’t resulted in production, however, as Robinson has just five catches for 41 yards through four weeks.
Wallace is the only other wide receiver on the roster with a catch this year, that coming on a nine-yard pickup back in Week 2. Proche has just 10 offensive snaps to his name in 2022 and has yet to be targeted.
The Ravens also have the trio of Bailey Gaither, Raleigh Webb, and Binjimen Victor on the practice squad and there’s a good chance that one of them is elevated prior to Sunday’s game.
The loss of Rashod Bateman is a massive blow to this Ravens’ offense. Expect Lamar Jackson to lean on Mark Andrews and even the other tight ends as the Ravens hope to move the ball against a sneaky talented Bengals defense on Sunday night.